[Chellybean]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

Good questions.

Jury is still out on that one.
As a builder i would of much rather built a custom home to my expectations.
However if you want to live in the Villages you are not buying a home but a lifestyle.
Now the wife wanted to live here and here is where we live and that is my story and i am sticking to it! L.O.L.
for the most part it is an adjustment from 5500 square feet on the top of a hill overlooking the water in the north. But who in god's name wants to maintain that in six months of snow and when you hit your mid 50's on top of it.
I just have to figure OUT THIS DAME GAME OF GOLF everyone is talking about. L.O.L. i watch it from my Lanai and i hear a lot of grrrrr, i am not sure if they are having fun or are ****ed off L.O.l.

[Chellybean]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

We have built seven houses and watched our kids build two.

The last one in Cincinnati was 4500 sq ft.

We have had two brand new homes here. One was a spec home and the second one built for us. We watched the second one being built every day. One day we walked in to see the tile guy tearing out the cap tile in the kitchen backsplash. I said what is wrong? And he was not happy, he said the builder told him to redo it. Both of our builders said they had been with the developer for many years. I am very happy with our home here. It doesn't have some of the wow factors of our last home in Cincy but it is well built and insulated and finished. Certainly worth the money and a very good investment.

Picture of tile in our small bath.

SOme of the tile stops on roman showers before it hits the ceiling, those are the ones that need to be checked.

[rhood]

Not much incentive for good craftsmanship here. Bang bang bang and they're done. I think that if the builders had to live in the homes they build they would be done differently. I wonder how much caulk is used to cover poor fit.

[Chellybean]

Originally Posted by rhood

Not much incentive for good craftsmanship here. Bang bang bang and they're done. I think that if the builders had to live in the homes they build they would be done differently. I wonder how much caulk is used to cover poor fit.

when the house starts to settle and the moldings dry out you will notice it in a hurry, they do not glue corners here when they do the door molding and base. the doors are split frame and referred to in the south as "clap nail and Alot of Chalk." l.o.l.

[Biker Dog]

We are in our third home here in The Villages and each one had it's own nightmare. Only one was repaired through the warranty department and that was structural.. The second one was major plumbing and the third was lack of properly installed electrical fixtures.

These homes are not built they are slapped up to meet deadlines. Yes we do still live here for the lifestyle.

[Chi-Town]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

We have built seven houses and watched our kids build two.

The last one in Cincinnati was 4500 sq ft.

We have had two brand new homes here. One was a spec home and the second one built for us. We watched the second one being built every day. One day we walked in to see the tile guy tearing out the cap tile in the kitchen backsplash. I said what is wrong? And he was not happy, he said the builder told him to redo it. Both of our builders said they had been with the developer for many years. I am very happy with our home here. It doesn't have some of the wow factors of our last home in Cincy but it is well built and insulated and finished. Certainly worth the money and a very good investment.

Picture of tile in our small bath.

GG, I was told that the premiere Bridgeport Villages had dedicated window instlallers whereas other homes have their windows done by the general crew. Perhaps the rest of a premiere house is also built to a higher standard. That would actually make sense.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Chi-Town

GG, I was told that the premiere Bridgeport Villages had dedicated window instlallers whereas other homes have their windows done by the general crew. Perhaps the rest of a premiere house is also built to a higher standard. That would actually make sense.

We also owned and thoroughly enjoyed a beautifully and well built Camellia in Hadley. We have been welcomed into many friends homes in these eight years and they are similarly pleased with their homes; villas, ranches, cottages, designers, premiers..

[Biker Dog]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

So, quit your *&^%*((

Not *&%*((. Just trying to explain the quality of the construction.

[Sable99]

Originally Posted by mulligan

What coating ??

I chose to put a coating on top of the lanai concrete at our Design Team Meeting when we built our home. The coating has a texture to it. My Mom is 90 and I thought that this wouldn't be too slippery for her.

[Sable99]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

By whom?
Those guys at the 19th hole will tell you anything....................

Sorry Bogie. It was my home inspector, T&D Concrete and another person affilitated with them, and three different tile stores. T&D also told me that the problem starts to show about 2 years after the home is built.

[graciegirl]

Lots of folks seem to think that this is a nice place to live and the homes are just fine.

[rubicon]

The Statue Of Repose is 10 years for structural damage.

It is my understanding that the concrete used for the slab is a fast cure but it still has not satisfied my concern. I had three floors redone down to the concrete slab and the cracks while long where narrow and indicated normal settling. These homes go up much too fast. In fact I have witnessed people who have had additions that took much longer to complete

I support what Chillybean is saying because he has done this type of work and because he is addressing building problems and not attacking the villages of Lake Sumter , Inc (VLSI) (Developer) and any contractor.

I also agree that people really won't see much of a structural problem in their homes for perhaps the first ten years but then what?

It is common practice for all developers to cut corners to maximize profits.
Also given the price of a home there is little really style or amenities

I also don't believe price saves you from bad construction. In the Minneapolis area they had a real problem with succo/stone homes and water entry. A legal case/ decision that helped many homeowners involved a $5 million home that ended up with $4 million in restoration costs.

Finally I will always side with residents, and not the Developer, because they are my neighbors and they are experiencing the same concerns as me. Village of Lake sumter, Inc made his money off me and has long forgotten

[Chellybean]

Originally Posted by rubicon

The Statue Of Repose is 10 years for structural damage.

It is my understanding that the concrete used for the slab is a fast cure but it still has not satisfied my concern. I had three floors redone down to the concrete slab and the cracks while long where narrow and indicated normal settling. These homes go up much too fast. In fact I have witnessed people who have had additions that took much longer to complete

I support what Chillybean is saying because he has done this type of work and because he is addressing building problems and not attacking the villages of Lake Sumter , Inc (VLSI) (Developer) and any contractor.

I also agree that people really won't see much of a structural problem in their homes for perhaps the first ten years but then what?

It is common practice for all developers to cut corners to maximize profits.
Also given the price of a home there is little really style or amenities

I also don't believe price saves you from bad construction. In the Minneapolis area they had a real problem with succo/stone homes and water entry. A legal case/ decision that helped many homeowners involved a $5 million home that ended up with $4 million in restoration costs.

Finally I will always side with residents, and not the Developer, because they are my neighbors and they are experiencing the same concerns as me. Village of Lake sumter, Inc made his money off me and has long forgotten

there is no such thing in the concrete industry as fast cure, you can put calcium in the concrete during colder weather to accelerate concrete curing but it weakens concrete structure which isn't a big deal under tile floors generally. however it is the fill underneath the concrete that causes the problems with settling. They go through before putting plastic down they will vibratamp the sand to pack it. Then they use a Mapie Guard 2 rubber crack inhibitor over the concrete before the tile goes down, that does a pretty good job from tile cracking and will handle up to a 1/4 inch crack lateral not out of plain.
I can go into more detail but it would bore most people.
JUST A LITTLE FYI
P.S. if you ever see bridges being built, they are never done in the winter unless temperature of the concrete can be controlled and you alway see a water shower bath on the concrete in the summer so it cures at a slow rate, this is what gives the concrete its strength, there is quite a science around it

[applesoffh]

Originally Posted by TrudyM

Read on here someone in Sanibel has pops in the cement on their lanai.

Is a pop a hole?
According to engineer hubby if there are holes in the concrete within the first few years after a pour then the mix wasn't right or they didn't vibrate it enough to get it to settle properly. If this is a problem on the lanai what about the interior slab under tile that may then crack.
I worry about the level of construction when they were putting them up so fast. The warranty is a year is that right? Non visual structural issues can take years to show up.

Your husband is right! I have a small problem with the holes, but my neighbor had them throughout her driveway. first, call Warranty. They will tell you that it's out of warranty but will give you the name and number of someone at T & D who is well aware of this problem. There have been many complaints. My neighbor ended up with an entirely new driveway.
Don't be disuaded - just keep after them.

[GaryW]

Originally Posted by Chellybean

there is no such thing in the concrete industry as fast cure, you can put calcium in the concrete during colder weather to accelerate concrete curing but it weakens concrete structure which isn't a big deal under tile floors generally. however it is the fill underneath the concrete that causes the problems with settling. They go through before putting plastic down they will vibratamp the sand to pack it. Then they use a Mapie Guard 2 rubber crack inhibitor over the concrete before the tile goes down, that does a pretty good job from tile cracking and will handle up to a 1/4 inch crack lateral not out of plain.
I can go into more detail but it would bore most people.
JUST A LITTLE FYI
P.S. if you ever see bridges being built, they are never done in the winter unless temperature of the concrete can be controlled and you alway see a water shower bath on the concrete in the summer so it cures at a slow rate, this is what gives the concrete its strength, there is quite a science around it

I am quite aware of this issue,,, The Pop Outs,, alot of debate on that issue.

The are different type of mixes for concrete. Concrete is guaranteed to reach a certain strength threshold if you will. It will reach that strength in 28 days. Alot of mixes for T&D are designed not to "Cure Fast" but to achieve desired strength in a shorter period of time.

Slabs on ground (e.g. pavements, sidewalks, parking lots, driveways, floors, canal linings) and structural concrete (e.g. bridge decks, piers, columns, beams, slabs, small footings, cast-in-place walls, retaining walls) require a minimum curing period of seven days for ambient temperatures above 40 degrees Fahrenheit1.

American Concrete Institute (ACI) Committee 301 recommends a minimum curing period corresponding to concrete attaining 70 percent of the specified compressive strength2. The often specified seven-day curing commonly corresponds to approximately 70 percent of the specified compressive strengths. The 70 percent strength level can be reached sooner when concrete cures at higher temperatures or when certain cement/admixture combinations are used. Similarly, longer time may be needed for different material combinations and/or lower curing temperatures. For this reason, ACI Committee 308 recommends the following minimum curing periods3:


Curing in Construction

http://www.calciumchloride.com/concrete.shtml



Little reading for those interested in this type of boring stuff.